Mass Communication
Mass Communication is the mass production or mass distribution of news, art, entertainment, or persuasive messages intended for a large audience, in all media from print to corporate communications to independent online broadcasting – from the Wall Street Journal to Instagram. Our Mass Communication curriculum combines theory and practice to provide students with the breadth and depth of a Liberal Arts education and the hands-on production experience that will prepare them for the professional world.
If you enjoy writing, organizing information, engaging with media culture, and connecting with others, and aspire to a meaningful livelihood communicating ideas, proposals, and useful information to readers, listeners, viewers, and audiences worldwide from your company, computer, or community, Mass Communication is the career path for you.
Our Faculty
Dr. Kevin Ells is Associate Professor of Mass Communication at Texas A&M University – Texarkana. A 2015 Fulbright Scholar in Communication to Azerbaijan, and former debate coach and basic course director, he is certified by the national Experiential Education Academy, and developed the university's MA program in Communication. His recent research focuses on environmental rhetoric, semiotics, and communication theory. A participant in a National Communication Association Doctoral Honors Seminar and a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Institute on Environmental Ethics, his articles have appeared in Text and Performance Quarterly, Environmental Communication, Journal of Enterprising Communities, Explorations in Media Ecology, Texas Speech Communication Journal, Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, and the Routledge Companion to Environmental Studies.
Dr. Drew Morton is an Associate Professor of Mass Communication at Texas A&M University-Texarkana where he teaches Media Studies and Media Production courses. He earned his M.A. (2008) and Ph.D. (2012) in Cinema and Media Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. His publications have appeared in the journals Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Cinema Journal, [in]Transition, Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, and Studies in Comics. He is the co-founder and co-editor of [in]Transition, the award-winning journal devoted to videographic criticism, and the author of the monograph Panel to the Screen: Style, American Film, and Comic Books during the Blockbuster Era (University Press of Mississippi, 2016). He recently published chapters in the edited anthologies Star Wars and the History of Transmedia (Amsterdam University Press, 2017) and Perspectives in Digital Comics (McFarland, 2019). His video work has been exhibited around the world from the University of South Australia and the Universidad Católica de Pereira to Towson University, the Independent Film Festival of Boston, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
What You’ll Learn from Us
- How to inform, explain, influence, persuade, mediate, and negotiate
- Critical thinking and precise reasoning in legal and ethical mass media issues
- Media literacy skills to assist in analyzing the influence of mass communication on citizens and society
- A historical grasp of the development of media industries and technology to help map cultural change and take an active role in shaping contemporary media culture
- A solid base of media writing skills transferable to any media profession
- Theoretical and practical principles of public relations and advertising
- The theory and practice of publication design and layout (including Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop)
- Foundational elements of multimedia production (including Adobe Premiere and Adobe Audition)
Graduates of our program have produced marketing materials for the university, programmed a weekly film series with guest speakers, contributed to A&M-Texarkana experiential learning showcases, published stories in our online newspaper Eagle Eye, competed internships in media jobs across the industry and region, and presented research at regional conferences. Our Mass Communication Club has competed at the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association conference and been named Student Organization of the Year.
Mass Communication Careers
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Advertiser |
Filmmaker |
Newscaster |
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Broadcaster |
Fundraising Manager |
Press Secretary |
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Communication |
Graphic Designer |
Producer |
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Consultant |
Journalist |
Public Affairs Analyst |
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Community Affairs |
Lobbyist |
Public Relations |
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Director |
Managing Editor |
Publicist |
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Copy Editor |
Marketing Manager |
Publisher |
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Corporate |
Marketing Researcher |
Recruiter |
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Communications |
Media Consultant |
Reporter |
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Director |
Media Critic |
Screenwriter |
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Documentarian |
Media Relations Director |
Social Marketer |
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Editor |
Media Spokesperson |
Special Events Promoter |
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Editorial Project Manager |
Narrator |
Teacher/Professor |
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Events Manager |
News Director |
(and many more) |
Interested?
Please contact the Literature, Composition, Media & Communication Chair Dr. Corrine Hinton (903.223.3124) or Communication Program Administrator Dr. Kevin Ells (903.223.3040).
